Commission denies Erdoğan claim that EU isn’t paying migration bill

The European Commission Tuesday rebuffed Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s claim that the EU was not delivering on its end of a cash-for-cooperation deal on controlling migration, saying the leader’s allegation was “not true.”

“The European Union is respecting its commitments and suggestions to the contrary are not true,” said Margaritis Schinas, the Commission’s chief spokesman, in a press conference. “The European Union has mobilized €3 billion to help refugees in Turkey. Out of this, three-quarters of a billion, about €740 million, has been already allocated.”

Schinas added that the Commission was about to approve another allocation of €1.4 billion “to help refugees and host communities in Turkey, bringing the total allocated to €2.15 billion before the end of the month.”

Erdoğan told German broadcaster ARD Monday that Turkey had received only a fraction of that money — around €1 to €2 million of the promised €3 billion under the deal, which allows Europe to send refugees from the Middle East who arrive in Greece back to Turkey in exchange for political and financial incentives.

“The European governments are not honest,” Erdoğan said, according to ARD.

EU officials have said they will stand by the terms of the deal, even as many politicians question Turkey’s stability and commitment to democracy in the wake of a failed coup attempt earlier this month.

“The EU continues to fulfill its commitments under the EU-Turkey statement, including when it comes to funding under the facility for refugees scheme,” Schinas said Tuesday. “We expect the same from the Turkish side, and we all expect that our cooperation on migration and refugees continues.”

Schinas noted that the money promised under the deal was being allocated to benefit “refugees and the host communities in Turkey, not for the government.”

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Roy Jacobs

meh

Poor old Erdoğan, thought he was going to trouser €3 billion. He’s not going to be happy.

Posted on 7/26/16 | 2:16 PM CET

YY

Ahh, Erdogan! You gotta love the jester.

This formerly convicted criminal turned Sultan, who never really hid his true islamic intentions though he couldn’t believe his European counterparts didn’t notice nor objected so he started to believe in the righteous of his delusions, this jester who finally buried Atatürk along with rule of law and soon secularism, the jester that let goats and sheep run at the very sight of his picture, this jester is only half way his final act.
Now nobody asks what the real reason is why he is so strongly objected at the recognition of the Turkish genocide of the Armenians. Nobody connects the dots with the Turkish objection of the presence of the US air-force in Turkey. Nobody asks why the Erdogan soon to be caliphate government is so keen of withdrawing from the EU, although the game between the two is who draws first for the political blaming.
Now observe the de facto birth of Kurdistan. And observe the coming genocide of the Kurds. And observe the costs it takes to recognize a genocide.

You gotta love the jester, for he does what he does and nobody is connecting the dots. The Western world has become so naive that in time, it will be held partially responsible for the coming genocide. And the proposal for this ‘responsibility’ will of course come from .. Germany!

Posted on 7/26/16 | 3:20 PM CET

Corni

If EU promised money to Turkey to contain illegal migration this promise has to be fulfilled. There should be a schedule for money disbursement and then everything could be checked and verified if the obligations were fulfilled in a timely fashion. But this deal should have had as purpose to buy some time in order to put EU frontiers in order i.e. being protected in order not to allow the passing of illegal migrant boats. But apparently the EU bureaucrats are not in a rush to resolve this issue in a deciding fashion, lingering instead into futile discussions and conversations as they are used for so long. Words, words, words but not effective actions as Trump says it often. In the meantime ordinary citizens are at risk of loosing their life and living in fear. Sad!

Posted on 7/26/16 | 9:21 PM CET

Jerry

Can you say “bakshish?” Is he going to cry? Everybody’s always pickin’ on him

Posted on 7/27/16 | 1:39 AM CET

me

@Corni

I’m sure the EU have a receipt for everything 😀 Erdoğan probably thought it would go to his government to disperse as he saw fit, and more importantly on what he saw fit to spend it on. It has probably gone to organisations within Turkey that are dealing with the refugees.

Posted on 7/27/16 | 10:21 AM CET

Deb

@Corni

What, like a wall?

Posted on 7/27/16 | 10:22 AM CET

Konstantin Selounsk

Send the refugees to Germany.

Posted on 7/27/16 | 7:52 PM CET

harun

I was about to write “the EU can do a belly dance better than any Turkish teen girl.
As old as i am i learned just one thing from our relations, you can’t do any Agreements with this bunch of Turcophobic, Christian extremist and dishonest pack whom own Invention of the Human rights is good for them self but not for refugees.” but we all now how rightful the EU and his members are, right?

Posted on 7/28/16 | 11:08 PM CET

Slyczk

The German and French people are coward nation. Stand up and fight your Merkel and Hollande when they make such choices.